For Pep Guardiola, there will seldom have been a more satisfying victory than his Manchester City team's demolition of Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday evening.
After a brilliantly tense first leg at the Bernabeu, City had home advantage for the second leg, with the tie perfectly balanced at 1-1.
What followed was an exhibition from City, with only Real goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois keeping their score as low as four. This team are en route to the treble, and showed why in scintillating fashion on Wednesday.
Given the manner of City's Champions League exits over the years - especially last year's at the same stage against the same opposition - Wednesday's victory exorcised some demons for Guardiola and City.
Pep Guardiola: City manager says Real victory is one of the greatest of his career
At this stage of last season's Champions League, Manchester City were 5-3 up on aggregate entering injury time at the Bernabeu in their semi-final second leg. What followed was a scarcely believable comeback, with two goals from Rodrygo at the death forcing extra time, during which Karim Benzema would score to knock City out.
It was one of the most remarkable collapses in recent Champions League history and, after acrimonious exits to Lyon and Spurs in previous years, Pep Guardiola will have been desperate to drag his City team to a second Champions League final.
They did so in style on Wednesday night.
BERNARDO SILVA OPENS THE SCORING FOR MAN CITY! 💥 pic.twitter.com/rKwO5qF1gd
— Watch the UCL on LiveScore 🇮🇪 (@LiveScoreIE) May 17, 2023
A 4-0 victory, with Real never once looking like posing a threat, this was truly one of the great European performances of our times, and sets up City for a final against Inter Milan on June 10.
Guardiola spoke to the media at full-time, and said that the disappointment of last year's semi-final defeat had spurred City on to what he described as one of the best victories of his managerial career:
This is one of the highest, considering the opponent. Real Madrid, in the semi-finals of the Champions League - we had to perform well, and we did it, especially in the first half. It was really, really good.
I had a feeling these last days that we had a mix of calmness and tension to play these kind of games. After 10 or 15 minutes, I had the feeling that all the pain of last season was there today. It was so hard and tough last season, when we played quite similar to how we played today.
We were there and it was really tough to lose the way we lost, we had to swallow the poison. In football, in sport, there is always another chance, and when the draw was Madrid I said, 'yes, I want it.'
Today, everything was there. The eneergy we had last season after a year of the players being criticised for not having character. We lost because of football, but today we were there. I am so pleased for the whole organisation.
Carlo Ancelotti and Real Madrid simply had no answer for Pep Guardiola and co. on Wednesday night, and you would now fear for Inter Milan in what could very well be an equally one-sided final in Istanbul.
𝗚𝗔𝗠𝗘. 𝗦𝗘𝗧. 𝗠𝗔𝗧𝗖𝗛.
A Militao own goal has put Man City 3-0 ahead & on their way to Istanbul! pic.twitter.com/fpeM1WC4Bv— Watch the UCL on LiveScore 🇮🇪 (@LiveScoreIE) May 17, 2023
City are one win away from sealing the Premier League title, and also have the FA Cup final to look forward to on June 3 against their bitter rivals Manchester United, who will be desperate to stop City from claiming the elusive treble.
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